Tag Archives: Southern Miss

Yes, it’s bowl season and I’ve got a hankering for one more Bowl Pick It and Stick It. This time bowling is more exciting for me outside of the BCS Bowls. Part of it is the fact that Kansas State got jipped out of an appearance at the Sugar Bowl, but the other part is that the line up BCS wise is just not interesting enough. The Sugar and the Orange are lame. The BCS National Championship Game is a rematch of boredom. The Fiesta and Rose look good but the overall product leaves me underwhelmed. That’s what I’m stoked for the Cotton Bowl. It’s non BCS and has a top 10 BCS match up with Kansas State taking on Arkansas. SEC vs Big 12. Hell yeah. Click on through for the Bowl Pick It and Stick It information.

Franklin American Mortgage Music CityMississippi State vs. Wake Forest

Nashville, Tenn.
LP Field

Dec. 30
6:40 p.m.

ESPN

InsightIowa vs. Oklahoma

Tempe, Ariz.
Sun Devil Stadium

Dec. 30
10 p.m.

ESPN

Meineke Car Care of TexasTexas A&M vs. Northwestern

Houston
Reliant Stadium

Dec. 31
Noon

ESPN

Hyundai SunGeorgia Tech vs. Utah

El Paso, Texas
Sun Bowl

Dec. 31
2 p.m.

CBS

AutoZone LibertyCincinnati vs. Vanderbilt

Memphis, Tenn.
Liberty Bowl

Dec. 31
3:30 p.m.

ABC

Kraft Fight HungerIllinois vs. UCLA

San Francisco
AT&T Park

Dec. 31
3:30 p.m.

ESPN

Chick-fil-AVirginia vs. Auburn

Atlanta
Georgia Dome

Dec. 31
7:30 p.m.

ESPN

TicketCity Houston vs. Penn State

Dallas
Cotton Bowl

Jan. 2
Noon

ESPNU

OutbackMichigan State vs. Georgia

Tampa, Fla.
Raymond James Stadium

Jan. 2
1 p.m.

ABC

Capital OneNebraska vs. South Carolina

Orlando, Fla.
Florida Citrus Bowl

Jan. 2
1 p.m.

ESPN

Taxslayer.com Gator BowlOhio State vs. Florida

Jacksonville, Fla.
EverBank Field

Jan. 2
1 p.m.

ESPN2

Rose Bowl Game presented by VizioWisconsin vs. Oregon

Pasadena, Calif.
Rose Bowl

Jan. 2
5 p.m.

ESPN

Tostitos FiestaStanford vs. Oklahoma State

Glendale, Ariz.
U. of Phoenix Stadium

Jan. 2
8:30 p.m.

ESPN

Allstate SugarMichigan vs. Virginia Tech

New Orleans
Louisiana Superdome

Jan. 3
8:30 p.m.

ESPN

Discover OrangeWest Virginia vs. Clemson

Miami
Sun Life Stadium

Jan. 4
8:30 p.m.

ESPN

AT&T CottonKansas State vs. Arkansas

Arlington, Texas
Cowboys Stadium

Jan. 6
8 p.m.

FOX

BBVA Compass BowlSMU vs. Pittsburgh

Birmingham, Ala.
Legion Field

Jan. 7
1 p.m.

ESPN

GoDaddy.comArkansas State vs. Northern Illinois

Mobile, Ala.
Ladd-Peebles Stadium

Jan. 8
9 p.m.

ESPN

Allstate BCS National Championship GameNo. 1 LSU vs. No. 2 Alabama

New Orleans
Louisiana Superdome

Jan. 9
8:30 p.m.

ESPN

Remember it’s a straight up pick but you can rank your confidence from 1 to 35. What other bowls are interesting you ask? Well, let’s start with the Big 12. Baylor and Washington look good for the Alamo Bowl, thanks to Robert Griffin III’s Hesiman win. Oklahoma playing Iowa for the first time in forever in the Insight Bowl sees Sooner head coach Bob Stoops head to his alma mater. What other games look good? How about the Outback Bowl with Georgia taking on Michigan State, another version of the BCS snub bowl. That’s about it for me. The others are decent but they just don’t jump out to me. Come back every Monday from here on out, though and we’ll go over the picks.

It’s the final, final week of Pick It and Stick It (more on that in a couple of weeks). Did I produce a herculean effort much like Oklahoma State over the weekend to jump into the third place? Or did I hang off the edge and shed a bucket full of crocodile tears? We’ll find out soon enough. We also found out how the BCS system works in fine detail, speaking of Oklahoma State. Now that the regular season Pick It and Stick It is over, we are kicking up the Bowl Pick It and Stick It, with a twist you may be familiar with. All that and more inside.

It was a dreary last week of Barspotting but we forged ahead. It was also a wet day for Kansas State, so it was quite alright that we were late to Little Woodrow’s in Southpark Meadows. It was Championship Weekend and the cards played out, with the bowl season right at our front door now. Every game had a championship feel except for Farmageddon because when Kansas State and Iowa State get together, it means so much more. So how did we survive the first real wet weekend here in Austin, Texas?

As I mentioned we got in a little late but that was also because we thought Little Woodrow’s opened up at 11:30 AM. We lapped the place to finish our coffee and headed in, with the place being open shortly after 11. The 6th Street version of Little Woodrow’s was a little short ceiling wise and felt somewhat cramped. The Southpark Meadows variety was tall and open. That helped facilitate a giant projection screen in the middle of the bar. But there was so much more there.

Walking up to the joint, I could tell right away that there was a huge open patio area. I think South Austin reigns supreme in bringing not only a sports bar feel but a backyard feel to spectating. Although it was raining, I could tell that they had plenty of bags, horseshoe, and washer courts built in, not unlike Doc’s Backyard. Inside, there of course was the big projection screen television, but also large flat screen hd televisions. The bar section was wid open and had plenty of seats, the table area looked comfortable. I’m a little worried that the screens were too high. That’s fine, they had a bunch of other things to keep my attention at bay.

Wireless internet reigned supreme for me while I checked up on scores as well as email. The games inside were decent. Little Woodrow’s has Golden Tee, Silverstrike Bowling, and some Buck Hunter. I missed out on the shuffleboard table at first sight but caught it on the way out. I also caught their themed Christmas, which saw beer bottle trees, wrapping paper decor, peppermints, and hanging clothes. Apparently, it was part of their redneck Christmas celebration. Oh, also at the bar, there was Mega Touch. I haven’t seen that around these parts.

So speaking of the bar, the service was decent. The lady that tended to our needs most of the day was mildly attractive and kept calling us sweetheart. I dug her sense of humor so it wasn’t too much of an issue. What I did have an issue was that she messed up our order. The bar was fairly empty because Texas hadn’t started so it should’ve been easy to take down the correct order. I also had some issues getting the Kansas State game on television because she was convinced it wasn’t on there. Even after inspecting the line up sheet, she reluctantly changed the channel to the game. I didn’t make her eat crow on that, but it was disappointing nonetheless.

It turns out screwing up the food order helped me out. I opted for the their chicken sandwich with swiss cheese and bacon. Now I ordered the Little Woodrow’s homemade potato chips but they brought out fries instead. The bartender fixed the order and I got both. Both the fries and home-made potato chips were very delicious. I think it was the oil they cooked it with. The sandwich itself was okay, but nothing worth the price they were charging. I washed the thing down with a fairly tasty Fullers ESP. It tastes like a heifeweisen but was just a little more fruity. That light blend worked well with the chicken and juicy bacon.

Now on to the games. It was championship weekend and it should’ve been renamed blowout weekend. Most of the conference championship games were blowout snooze fests (sorry Big 10, I just don’t care about you). Southern Miss pulled the upset over Houston in the Conference USA game. LSU took care of business against Georgia in the SEC game. Clemson got revenge on Virginia Tech in the ACC game. The games themselves were not that exciting, but it did have some hefty effect in terms of BCS allotment. Especially that Houston and Virginia Tech loss. It helped make a case for Oklahoma State.

Yes, Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma for the first time in forever for Bedlam. Now, it wasn’t a conference championship game but it ended up being that way for the Big 12. Whoever won that game would have the title or at least the greatest share of it. The ghost of Sooner past didn’t scare the Cowboys away this time. They came out the gates firing and didn’t let up one bit. Oklahoma looked sloppy, especially on offense. I swear the defense might have scored more points than the offense in that game. Congratulations on the Big 12 Conference Championship Oklahoma State.

Kansas State was the team I came to Little Woodrow’s to see and they finished out the regular season like they do with every game this year: by nearly giving me a god damned heart attack. It was close, thanks to Paul Rhoads and his rag tag bunch of Iowa State Cyclones. Farmageddon always had a history of close and exciting games and this one came through. Now Collin Klein will get the rub for the victory, but John Hubert’s stiff arm from hell toward the end of the game made him the top performer for me. That last touchdown run sealed it after Iowa State had multiple winning gambles on the drive to tie the game.

So that was the last barspot. To tell the truth, I am still disappointed that I couldn’t get a game of washers in. I drowned my sorrows quickly with some homemade potato chips and malt vinegar, however. Little Woodrow’s was a decent time, but not the best. It could’ve been the rain or the sub par service, I’m not sure. What I am sure of is that if the sun is out and your favorite team is on, head out there to relax and enjoy the outdoor patio. It will most certainly be more relaxing than watching a Kansas State game or dealing with BCS math.

Yessir, it’s the last regular season week of college football! We have tons of conference championships, but we also have a fairly stacked Big 12 schedule. I’m sure that won’t happen as soon as they conference actually goes back to 12, but it’s nice to enjoy Farmageddon and Bedlam while the title games are going on. Bedlam is bigger, though, and I’m pulling for a major breakthrough for Oklahoma State so they can go the BCS National Championship Game. Much like I’m pulling for a miracle in the picks this week. I’m not asking for much, just for third place. So let’s find out what the picks are:

It’s the final week of Barspotting for the 2011 year! Yeah, I could go to some bowl games, but the way the BCS National Championship Game is turning out, I may just skip the whole shebang. But who knows, I may be doing a little Bowlspotting with the Kansas State Wildcats if they find their way down here in Texas again. In the meantime, Little Woodrow’s is on the list. I’m not doing the 6th Street variety, but the one out in south Austin. I’m ending the year the way I started it: Doing a family friendly sports bar and playing some backyard games. It should be fantastic.

We have one more week to go, but things are pretty much locked up by now. On the Pick It and Stick It side, Bryce Brown for Heisman pretty much has it locked up. BCS wise, it looks like the heavens and earth have shaken and bubbled up a rematch between LSU and Alabama for the BCS National Championship Game. Ugh. At least for the BCS there is an outside chance for Oklahoma State to throw a wrench into the gears. So let’s take a look at the standings for the next to last time this year.

Last week was rough. For lots of reasons. Tailgating as hard as I did last weekend has left some lingering effects. There’s also a sprinkle of great games from Thursday through Saturday. So I decided that this week, it will be some major home spectating. It’s a weird week for me anyway because this is the first Thanksgiving I’ve had away from home. Hopefully I won’t miss Mom’s stuffing too much. Let’s check out the games.

Another week and another undefeated goes down. Stanford just didn’t have the offense that Oregan has and now the Ducks are back in the BCS Championship talks. Will they quack in there? We’ll see that in the BCS Standings. Nobody was undefeated in the Pick It and Stick It but I was dumb enough to forget to put my picks in for the morning game. I think I came out alright but I do not forsee a way into the title just yet. I’m going to need some major help. Let’s look at the standings:

Okay, it’s getting to be that time of year. We had a quick preview of it last night. Well the whole week, actually. As the season goes on now, there will be some games on every day of the week. We’ll definitely be knee deep into over Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks. But already last night was an epic match up between Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. I just hope they don’t pile on big time games on Tuesdays. Tuesdays are for me. Please college football, don’t take my Tuesdays away. It’s the only real day I can recharge and get juiced for another week fo college football. I hope they don’t pick Tuesday but I do hope they Pick It and Stick It. Here’s this week’s fodder:

I’m still holding the flag up high for last week’s Game of the Century. No, it wasn’t LSU vs Alabama, but it was Oklahoma State hosting Kansas State. The mistakes in both games were costly but the ones in Stillwater provided for actual touchdowns and way more drama. The dram in Tuscaloosa was mostly hype. Seriously, how can a kicker missing 4 field goals be that exciting? It certainly isn’t to me. On the other hand, it took a goal line stand for Oklahoma State to stop Kansas State at the end of regulation. It was just a better game and more deserving of the century title. Now on to the results for the week:

I have to admit, I am getting excited about going to a BBQ this weekend. It’s fun running around the city and checking out new places, but the home cooked food and good times with peeps you know is always a welcomed change of pace. It will be a little awkward, however, as I’ll be sneaking my laptop on over to get ready for the big night games heading our way. I more than likely will not be watching two games at once, but I will be prepared just in case. For everyone else, prepare yourselves for the Pick It and Stick It.

Yeah the night games have high contrasts in terms of spreads. Kansas State and Oklahoma State have a huge 21 point difference while Alabama and LSU have only 4.5. Yeah I know Arkansas and South Carolina are close together too at 5.0. Out of those, I think LSU will make it a toss up. Sorry but Kansas State blew its wad already and it will be hard to watch via streaming laptop Saturday night. Meanwhile, earlier in the day, there is nothing exciting. Big 12 wise, Texas is up big on Texas Tech, but that will be closer. Iowa State should hang one on the pathetic Kansas Jayhawks. Oklahoma will run right over Texas A&M. That Baylor against Missouri will be a shoot out. Everything else is seriously blah.

Yesterday was rough for me. I didn’t expect to go into work to load up on candy, but I’ll be damned if the nice people I work with had loads of candy for me to nom on. I skipped lunch entirely all because of it. Some solid food found its way in my belly later on in the night, but it was no use. The sugar shock went to major crash and I’m just waking up from the coma. What better time than now to go over the Pick It and Stick It Standings? There’s nothing sweet in there that I know of.

It’s high time to duke it out on the field for dominance on the college football landscape. The unbeatens will dwindle down here real soon, if not this weekend, and it’s everyone team for themselves. Please remember, however, by fighting I mean actually playing tough football. I do not mean actually fighting the opposing players. It seems in the last couple of weeks some players have been confused and took to fisticuffs. Heck 41 players are suspended because of a big brawl that happened last weekend. Please, when you go out there fight well in terms of football, not Mortal Kombat. Now, it’s time to go over the Pick It and Stick It and look for some fatalities. Finish Him!

I have to say I’m a little giddy at the news that TCU will be accepting the offer to join the Big 12. Yeah, I know that they turned the gravy train around from the Big East but they are a better fit and I’m sure they were a little shakey about that conference after Pitt and Syracuse decided to leave. Yes, the Big East is in HUGE trouble, and now it’s the Big 12’s turn to take a deep breath and grab a couple of more teams. In fact, I’d say it’s high time for the Big 12 to Pick It and Stick It! Speaking of which, we have another exciting weekend of action on the field and on your pick sets. Let’s go over the list:

Whew! Another close one for the Big 12. I swear, the Big 12 is the greatest thing since MTV’s The Real World. If you want to talk about the best conferences, then the one with the best drama factor definitely is the Big 12. Yeah, they are staying together but we really don’t know for how long. So while they hold hands again and tell everybody that things are cool, let’s focus on some actual football. This week’s Pick It an Stick It kind of reflects the noise off the field. Like the Big 12, most of the great games are stuck together around 2:30 Saturday. That’s fine for me and my barspotting trip, but how will it fare for the picks? Continue reading Pick It And Stick It 2011 Week 04: Sticking Together→